The story
In April, three men were sentenced for the 2021 killing of Kevin Nishita, a retired police officer who was working security in Oakland. As KTVU reported, Nishita was protecting a television news crew covering a break-in on Thanksgiving Eve when he was shot during an attempted robbery of the crew’s equipment. Laron Gilbert was sentenced to 30 years to life for first-degree murder, and two accomplices received 25 years each. Nishita’s widow spoke at the hearing and said she intends to attend every future parole hearing.
My take
I carried a badge for thirteen years before I ran companies, so this one lands hard. Nishita had the day off, took a call, and went in. That is the job. In this industry we talk about guards as a line item — a bill rate, a uniform to fill. We forget that the person on the post is standing between someone else and harm, often for low pay and little recognition.
The same season the Legislature debates whether guards are paid and trained enough, here is the reminder of what we actually ask of them. If you own a company, take it as a charge: train your people for real, equip them, support them, and never treat a post as just a slot to fill.
The best way to honor an officer like Nishita is to raise the floor for everyone who still stands where he stood. Rest easy, brother.
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